Package Deal (44 page)

“Sur
e
th
e
y did. I saw thos
e
big bouqu
e
ts
in your hospital room
.”

“Oh, th
e
m.
I wasn’t awak
e
e
nough to s
ee
th
e
m v
e
ry much,” sh
e
replied
. “Want to s
ee
my n
e
w book?”

“Is it by Margu
e
rit
e
H
e
nry?”

“
Uh-
huh
—
Born
to Trot
. It’s about a boy who has to stay in b
e
d
a long tim
e
…
just
lik
e
m
e
, only h
e
do
e
sn’t hav
e
any casts. Wanna r
e
ad a chapt
e
r?”

“I’d lov
e
to. How much hav
e
you r
e
ad alr
e
ady?”

“Just th
e
first
one
. I was waiting for you. Mom said you w
e
r
e
coming
over. I’m glad
.”
Cecelia
smil
e
d
at him.

“Wh
e
r
e
shall I sit?”
She’s more like herself,
he thought, pleased with her improvement.

“H
e
r
e
at th
e
tabl
e
.
On
this sid
e
.” She pointed
to h
e
r right.“
My l
e
g
cast
sticks out
too much
on th
e
oth
e
r sid
e
.
”

H
e
sat wh
e
r
e
sh
e
dir
e
ct
e
d
and asked,
“Do you want to r
e
ad th
e
n
e
xt chapt
e
r?”

“No
.
You r
e
ad
first
.”

“You’re
being
k
inda bossy, ar
e
n’t you
, Miss Cecelia
?”

She cocked her head at him.
“It’
s my book, Marcus, so I g
e
t to d
e
cid
e
.”

“Oh. I didn’t know about that rul
e
,
Miss Princess.” H
e
push
ed
out
hi
s lower lip
and pouted
. “What if I want to r
e
ad mor
e
than you want me to
?”

Sh
e
reached
over
and
patt
ed
his arm. “If you ar
e
nic
e
, I’ll l
e
t you tak
e
it hom
e
to r
e
ad wh
e
n
we’re
finish
e
d
.”

“
That sounds like a good plan.
Wh
e
r
e
do you want m
e
to start?” H
e
ri
ffl
e
d
th
e
pag
e
s.

“H
e
r
e
.”
S
h
e
point
e
d
.

H
e
b
e
gan to r
e
ad.

Th
e
y had
read
fiv
e
pag
e
s wh
e
n Amanda arriv
e
d
with dinn
e
r on a tray for C
e
c
e
lia. “Tim
e
to stop r
e
ading and
e
at.” Sh
e
plac
e
d
th
e
tray on th
e
tabl
e
.

“Can Marcus
e
at with m
e
?”

“Only if your moth
e
r can join us,” h
e
said. “W
e
can pr
e
t
e
nd w
e
’
r
e
camping—lik
e
w
e
did wh
e
n w
e
had s
’mor
e
s.”

“
Mom, do you want to
e
at with us?”

“I
like that idea
,
”
Amanda replied.

While t
h
e
thr
ee
of th
e
m at
e
dinn
e
r,
Marcus asked Cecelia about soccer
and
the books she had read, and how she was
keeping up with her schoolwork,
anything other than what had happened with Carl.When they
had finished
eating,
Amanda stack
e
d
th
e
dish
e
s and Marcus
stood up to follow her
downstairs
.

“Ar
e
you leav
ing so soon?”
C
e
c
e
lia r
e
ach
e
d
for h
e
r book.

“I
want
to talk with your moth
e
r. I’ll com
e
back up to tuck you in if you’d lik
e
,” h
e
off
e
r
e
d
.

“No, Mom do
e
s that. But, if you com
e
ov
e
r tomorrow, w
e
can r
e
ad som
e
mor
e
.”

“That’s a good idea
.
Let’s
shak
e
on it.”

Th
e
y did
,
and
Cecelia
pick
e
d
up th
e
book to r
e
ad on h
e
r own.

Amanda pulled the drapes on the window.
“Only on
e
chapt
e
r, C
e
c
e
. Th
e
n it’s tim
e
for sl
ee
p.”

Marcus followed Amanda down
stairs and took her in his arms. She leaned into him,
her
heart beat
ing
steadily against
his chest
.
Where she needs to be. Right here, with me.

Amanda
smiled. “Thanks for coming over.”

“So, w
hat’s going on?” Marcus stood b
e
hind h
e
r and rubb
e
d
h
e
r n
e
ck and should
e
rs
.

She looked
over her shoulder
at him.
“
If I w
e
r
e
a cat, I’d b
e
purring
right now
. That f
ee
ls h
e
av
e
nly.”

“I know
some
oth
e
r
place
s I could rub that would mak
e
you purr, too,” h
e
whisp
e
r
e
d
.

“That may b
e
, but w
e
hav
e
to talk busin
e
ss
first
.
”
Then s
h
e
closed her eyes and leaned into
the feel of
his hands as th
e
y squ
ee
z
e
d
h
e
r should
e
rs and rubb
e
d
h
e
r n
e
ck.
“
You know about
t
he
play therapist
. She’s been
h
e
r
e
several times, and this week
w
e
had a major br
e
akthrough.”

Marcus
nodded
, listened
and then frowned
when Amanda told him what she’d learned.

“
The therapist
thinks it would b
e
h
e
lpful if C
e
c
e
lia had a man fri
e
nd who could h
e
lp h
e
r s
ee
that
Carl
’s b
e
havior
…
you know,
that oth
e
r m
e
n don’t do that sort of thing. I thought of you.
”
Amanda
r
e
ach
e
d
up to
stroke
his fac
e
. “
Sh
e
trusts you and has always lik
e
d
you
.”

“Like it used to be
,
before all this
,” he said
.

“Yes, b
ut it m
e
ans sp
e
nding tim
e
with h
e
r
and
e
v
e
ntually touching h
e
r lik
e
you us
e
d
to
—you know, on h
e
r h
e
ad and should
e
rs. I’m not sur
e
what sh
e
’
ll
do if your hands
e
v
e
r
touch h
e
r
front or her
back
and arms
.
And,
I don’t know wh
e
r
e
e
ls
e
Carl
may have tried to
touch h
e
r. I only know
that he
tri
e
d
things
in th
e
offic
e
a f
e
w tim
e
s and C
e
c
e
didn’t lik
e
it.”